Thomas Wayne...
The Merciless chewed on the name in a low voice, as if it were some ancient and forbidden incantation.
For the first time, the gaze beneath the helmet shifted from Diana and locked onto the man in the red Batsuit.
That sudden stiffness lasted for less than a second.
Then he let out a low, sneer that seemed to be forced out of his metallic chest.
"I haven't heard that name in a long time." He picked up the dark greatsword from the ground again, and that terrifying aura of crushing everything rose once more.
"As a reward for stirring up my boring memories, I can allow you... to choose how to die."
He took a step forward, and the entire underground space trembled.
What do you want to choose?
Thor, or rather, the current " Thomas Wayne," did not rush to answer.
His gaze swept calmly over the behemoth before him, but his brain was working at faster-than-light speed.
Defeating this big, dumb guy? Not difficult.
The challenge lies in how to use the existing resources to defeat him in a plausible and reasonable manner, assuming the identity of " Thomas Wayne ".
He wasn't unprepared before he came.
In order to perfectly portray characters from different universes, he even took the time to "consult" a world-class actor.
The other person's words resonated deeply with him—to play a role well, you can't just rely on "acting"; you must tell yourself from the depths of your Soul Stone, "I am him."
Thomas Wayne in the Flashpoint Paradox... this old man, as Batman, had no "no-kill" rules.
To avenge his son, he will use every means at his disposal to send Gotham City's criminals to Hell one by one.
Therefore, he doesn't need to maintain a hero persona at all now.
He is Thomas Wayne!
Once this thought was formed, Thor's mindset completely changed. He was no longer a bystander, a mischievous multiverse god, but a father who had just witnessed his "son" fall into monster form, filled with anger and disappointment.
His gaze swept subtly over the scattered artifacts, lingering for a moment on Mjolnir, Mjolnir.
Using a divine weapon to kill this unfilial son seems perfectly reasonable, right?
He was even starting to look forward to seeing what kind of expression the " Bruce " from this Prime Universe would have after he saved him and called him "Dad."
However, before that... we can collect some interest first.
Thor raised his head, meeting the eyes of the Merciless burning with destructive flames, and slowly uttered two words in his aged and hoarse voice.
"Call me 'Dad'."
"..."
silence.
A deathly silence, deafening.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
The Merciless, about to take another step, abruptly stopped in mid-air. His entire armor groaned under the strain, as if his rage was on the verge of materializing.
Supported by him, Diana forgot her excruciating pain because of those two unexpected words. She stared wide-eyed at " Thomas Wayne " beside her in disbelief, then at the dark monster opposite her that was about to explode.
Even Death, who always stood in the shadows as a spectator, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes.
She knew roughly what Thor's plan was, but she rarely speculated on a person's specific thoughts.
That's why, for the first time, a genuine look of interest appeared on her pale face at this unexpected turn of events.
That's what makes it interesting, isn't it?
"You're asking for it!"
The Merciless was completely ignited.
He threw away the greatsword, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, and his Iron Fist, bigger than a sandbag, carrying enough power to crush everything, slammed fiercely toward Thor's head!
Thor reacted faster than him.
The instant the opponent threw a punch, he had already grabbed Diana's waist and executed a classic Batman backflip, landing gracefully several meters away, perfectly dodging the fatal blow.
Only after placing Diana beside death did he straighten up again, facing the Merciless that charged towards him in a fit of rage.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out several Batarang with different functions from his multi-functional belt and casually tossed them out.
Those metallic bats, shimmering with different luster, precisely embedded themselves in the path of the Merciless's charge and into his armor.
The ground was instantly covered with a layer of frozen frost, causing the Merciless to stumble.
Immediately afterwards, several clumps of extremely resilient, acute clay burst open from his joints, attempting to immobilize him.
Finally, several miniature explosive darts detonated on his breastplate!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A series of explosions kicked up thick smoke, but the Merciless only paused briefly before striding out of the smoke and dust. Apart from a few more scratches on his breastplate, he was completely unharmed.
"You actually think you can use Batarang against me?" he roared disdainfully, his anger almost tangible. "I am Batman!"
"No."
Thor shook his finger and spoke calmly, as if reprimanding a disobedient son.
"You don't understand, Bruce. You're still young, after all. I don't blame you."
"Aaaaaaah!"
This seemingly casual remark is even more terrifying than the previous "call me daddy."
The Merciless completely abandoned all reason, charging towards Thor like a mad bull once again.
Thor, however, seemed to have anticipated his attack route.
He didn't try to take the blow head-on; instead, he dodged and weaved within a small space, narrowly avoiding each powerful punch that could split mountains and shatter rocks.
His movements seemed chaotic, yet they always seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally moving in one direction.
That direction is exactly where Mjolnir, Mjolnir, fell.
Just as the Merciless missed another heavy punch and his body stiffened for a moment, Thor's opportunity came.
He stopped retreating, lowered his body, and successfully circled around to the side of the Merciless, firmly grasping the handle of Mjolnir with his right hand.
Without the slightest hesitation, the warhammer, a symbol of holiness and thunder, felt as light as a feather in his hands.
"Boom--!"
Thor made no unnecessary movements, swung his hammer with all his might, and smashed it down on the side of the Merciless that was right in front of him!
With a deafening roar and a sickening metallic creak, the once invincible Dark God of War was sent flying like a baseball hit with a home run, crashing heavily into a distant wall and creating a huge human-shaped crater.
Thor, carrying Mjolnir, slowly straightened up and walked towards the black figure struggling among the rubble.
He stopped, looked down at the other person, and said, slowly and deliberately, in his aged and hoarse voice:
Only bats can defeat bats.